Why do Mondays feel like the worst day of the week, and is there really a way to start our week off with a more positive spin? We share everything you need to know to turn that Monday feeling into something you can look forward to (or at least not dread)

Mondays. They’re the worst day of the week, aren’t they? For most of us, Monday morning signals the end of two whole days of freedom and enjoyment. The weekends are a time to relax, do something we enjoy, and put ourselves (or our loved ones) first. It's time to get out and about, do exciting things, and maybe even treat ourselves.

Yet by the time Sunday evening rolls around, we can start to feel a sense of dread for the week to come. And when Monday morning finally rolls around? We feel tired, grumpy, and reluctant to get started. Maybe you even feel anxious about the week to come, or frustrated that your precious free time has gone so quickly.

So…why is it we struggle with Monday mornings. And what can we do to turn things around and make Mondays better?

Why do I have such a hard time on Mondays?

We all struggle with Mondays for different reasons. Overwhelmingly in the UK, Monday is the start of our work, school, or college week, meaning it’s one of the most stressful days as we begin a new cycle of days before our next ‘free day’ off. But the looming week ahead isn’t the only reason why Mondays can be so tough.

If you find yourself dreading Mondays, it could be a sign that:

• You don’t like your job. Disliking what you do, or finding it particularly stressful, can both make Mondays feel hard. But actually recognising why you don’t like your job (or that it’s even your job that is the problem) can sometimes be tricky. If you feel yourself growing anxious, nervous, or dreading the week ahead on a Sunday evening, it can be a sign that something isn’t quite right. Maybe you’re dreading a specific meeting, you don’t feel prepared for the week ahead, or your to-do list is waiting for you and feels overwhelming. For others, feeling like what they do is meaningless or makes no difference can be the driving force behind their discontent.
• You feel trapped. Transitioning from two days of freedom to five days of sticking to a rigid schedule can be tough - even when we’ve been doing it for years. We’re no longer able to do things when we want, or in many cases, even to take breaks when we know they would best suit us. This can lead to a growing sense of frustration, loss, and even resentment that can be particularly prevalent on a Monday, as you try to get back into your workweek routine.
• Your work/life balance is off. Having a good work/life balance is key for so many different reasons. Without enough time to ourselves, we may not be able to de-stress, maintain or build meaningful relationships, relax, unwind, and truly find things that we enjoy. Even when we love what we do as a job, we can’t keep doing it 24/7 without a break – it’s just not healthy. If you’re answering emails outside of

To fill the season with life and discovery, try these activities

For many of us, the winter brings with it a respite from the rush of summer. Like the natural world around us, we slow down a bit, retreat indoors, and take some time to recuperate. Slow, cosy, winter days-in were the things we dreamed of at the height of summer heat waves, when our social calendars were packed, and we rushed from one thing to the next.

That said, with less on our plates, there comes a time when winter boredom can set in, and this isn’t always great news for our mental health and wellbeing. A study published in the journal Psychophysiology set out to look at the link between boredom and mental health problems like anxiety and depression, and discover the most effective way to prevent boredom’s negative impact on our wellbeing. The finding? To proactively pursue activities, rather than waiting till boredom has already hit.

So, to help you on your way, we’ve gathered together eight sensational seasonal activities to try this winter, to help you beat boredom.

Cook with seasonal ingredients

There are many reasons to cook with seasonal ingredients. For one thing, it’s more sustainable. But foods that are in season also tend to be far more wholesome and nutritious, and eating with the seasons might also prompt you to try things you wouldn’t usually eat. The ingredients that you will get your hands on are likely to prompt hearty, rich dishes – the perfect thing to warm you up this winter. Vibrant red cabbage, heirloom purple carrots (and the good ol’ orange favourites, too), buttery leeks, and honey-roasted parsnips – these warming foods make moving with the seasons feel natural.

Go stargazing

Taking time to sit back and be in awe of the sky above can be a truly humbling experience, and wrapping up warm, packing a hot flask, and heading out into the winter night makes for an even more magical experience. There are plenty of astronomical events on the horizon, many of which you’ll be able to see without the need for any special equipment. Head to gostargazing.co.uk for a full calendar of what’s coming up.

Go for a winter ramble

Walking is an enjoyable activity all year round, but there’s something about breathing in the crisp air, hearing the sound of leaves crunching under your feet, and returning home with pinched and flushed cheeks, ready to wrap your fingers around a hot mug, that makes winter walks all the more special. Stomp around your regular route and take in the changing scenery, or head to walkingbritain.co.uk to discover new ones.

Try a living room dance workout

When the temperature drops, a good way to get your blood pumping and heat rising again is through exercise. But why stick with a plain old workout when you can bop along to your favourite songs? Not only are dance workouts great cardio, but they’re also bound to put a smile on your face. Invite a couple of friends to try them with you, and you’re bound to be laughing throughout. There’s a huge selection of dance workouts available for free on YouTube, and there’s something for everyone’s music t

Nearly one in five of us are chronic procrastinators. Could hypnotherapy be the answer to help us stop idling, and get more proactive for good?

Procrastination. Who hasn’t been guilty of putting things off until the last minute? We all procrastinate from time to time, but why is that? Is it really due to laziness? And what could we be doing to instil healthier habits around all those little tasks we inevitably put off?

Why do we procrastinate?

The reasons behind why we procrastinate can vary significantly from person to person. Perhaps you always leave the laundry until the very last moment – the thought of all that folding and finding space to put everything away is your worst nightmare. Maybe you avoid sending in your expenses to work as the system feels overly complex, or it’s frustrating to find every single receipt so you put it off until the last minute.

Procrastination can often be confused with laziness or poor time management. However, procrastination is, by definition, an active process: you intentionally avoid a task, often doing other, smaller tasks while avoiding the one thing you just don’t want to do. When we procrastinate, we aren’t just putting something off, we’re doing so while knowing it’s against our better judgement (and often, that it will potentially cause us more problems further down the line).

One expert, Dr Fuschia Sirois, professor of psychology at University of Sheffield, said procrastination is “essentially irrational” in an interview with The New York Times. We know that it doesn’t make sense to do something that will cause us to experience negative consequences, and yet, by continuing to engage in a cycle of chronic procrastination, we know that we will experience more stress, anxiety, loss of sleep, and increased feelings of pressure. These, in turn, often create an outcome that is rushed, incomplete, past the deadline, or that may need to be redone entirely.

A 2013 study found that procrastination is, essentially, caused by our inability to self-regulate our negative thoughts or feelings around a task. These negative impressions can become attached to the idea of completing the task, leading to procrastination in the form of avoidance (‘I’ll do that later’), self-doubt (‘I’m not smart enough for this’), or even undertaking other tasks (‘I’ll just clean my desk before starting that report’).

Feelings of anxiety, resentment, boredom, frustration, and self-doubt can all lead to increased levels of stress, anxiety, self-blame, and lower self-esteem. Over time, avoiding a certain task can lead to these negative connotations growing, which can make even thinking about some of them feel stressful and overwhelming. In turn, this can lead us to avoid the tasks all over again, creating a cycle of chronic procrastination.

How can hypnotherapy help?

If you think you’re ready to take that next step in trying to overcome procrastination, it’s important to ask yourself: am I ready to change? Without the desire to change and improve, old bad habits are bound to return. Once you are ope

Whether creativity is part of your job or a hobby, we can all get stuck sometimes. When the well of inspiration runs dry, it’s time to take a creative approach to creativity…

1. Seek out the colour blue

According to colour psychology, blue can stimulate creative thinking, encouraging us to try new things, while also having a calming effect. Surround yourself with the colour next time you need a creative boost – head outside and take in the blue sky, visit the seaside to marvel at the ocean, or simply add more blue decor to your environment. You could even try wearing more blue and see how you feel.

2. Read/watch/listen outside of your genre

Do you tend to stick to the same genres when reading books, watching TV, or listening to music and podcasts? Feed your curiosity by exploring genres you would never normally try. Love a romance novel? Why not see what fantasy has to offer? Huge rock music fan? Try dipping your toe into the world of RnB. Want to listen to a podcast unlike anything else? Try ‘Everything is Alive’.

3. Tap into your inner child

Kids are naturally creative, so who better to draw inspiration from? Dust off your bike and go for a ride, find an adult-sized ball pit, get your colouring books out, or build a Lego masterpiece. These all help to stem overthinking, encouraging you to experience the world in a more child-like and curious way.

4. Spend more time with creative people

Who we spend time with can make an impact on our worldview. So, if you want to be more creative, try spending more time with fellow creatives. This could be in-person at events or meet-ups, or online.

5. Take silent breaks

The world can be a noisy place at times, and this can colour our thinking. Try to incorporate some silent breaks in your day where there’s no music, podcasts, TV. Allow yourself to sit in silence and give your own thoughts space.

6. Keep a dream journal

Our dreams are about as weird and wacky as they come, and could be a source of inspiration. Keep a notepad and pen by your bed, and grab it when you wake up to write about your dream. The key here is to be quick; trying to remember a dream is like trying to catch water in a net… tricky! Later you can look back and revel in the absurd.

Apparently, being playful and childish is the key to a long and happy life. We’ll take it!

Do you find yourself fighting ‘silly’, childish urges? Doodling a smiley face on the car window, or racing your (36-year-old) best bud to the top of the hill, cos’ the loser is a rotten egg? Well, don’t fight it! According to experts, engaging in adult play is more than just a giggle – it can cause changes in the brain which help improve our mental, emotional, and even physical health.

So, before you feel guilty about rearranging the fridge magnets to spell ‘bum’, or blowing a raspberry at your little niece or nephew, let’s take a look at the science behind play, and how it can transform how we feel and live.

Why do we lose our playfulness?

It’s no surprise that kids are one-upping us in the happiness department – as they jump around the garden with one finger up their nose and the other hand clutching a stolen tablespoon. So where does it all go wrong?

According to world-renowned therapist and author Marisa Peer, we never truly forget how to play, but society teaches us that it’s inappropriate after a certain age. Though the urges are there, we are accustomed to suppressing it, and acting in a safer, more ‘appropriate’ manner.

“Humans have a compelling need to find connections and avoid rejection, so they won’t do anything that could exclude them for being different,” she says.

“As a child heads towards their teens, they start to play with toys less, as they look to older children to see what is cool. Being accepted by their peers is so important to them that they will relinquish favourite toys simply to fit in.

“This is reinforced by adults telling youngsters to ‘grow up’, ‘stop being silly’, or ‘don’t be childish’ which contributes to our belief that playing and being playful, after a certain age, is inappropriate.”

Marisa strongly believes in overcoming the society’s discouragement from play, and tries to bring lightness and laughter into every day. She adds: “As a therapist, and a trainer of therapists, I find laughter very helpful. Encouraging people to play has its place in contributing to making steps towards positive mental wellbeing.”

The seriousness of play

But it’s not just a laughing matter. Experts say that playing can help people deal with mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, and can even support those with trauma.

Creative arts therapist Dr Alison McClymont uses play to help treat trauma in adults. She says that feeding the urges to be playful can actually cause the brain to return to a child-like state, which helps us to access and resolve buried issues.

She says: “While, to some, this may sound ‘kooky’ or new age, play therapies for adults are empirically studied, and I have worked with extremely traumatised people whose only route to therapy was through artistic expression or play.

“The importance of play should not be overlooked; I have used it to treat psychosis and extreme forms of trauma. Creative a